Great amounts of information are transferred by computer systems in the form of files. Once in the form of a computer files, this information can easily be spread to a vast number of people quickly and easily.
In many cases the information is sensitive in nature. Examples of this include information which is proprietary to a company, government information, or personnel information such as social security numbers and credit card numbers. Methods exist for protecting such data such as encrypting the data. Data encryption requires that the person trying to access the file have the proper key or password to decrypt the file.
Even with encryption, information can still be spread with the knowledge of the originating party. Encryption is never stronger than the good intentions of those who have the password. Therefore, a need exists for a system which would allow the creator of a document to track the spread of the document that does not require a password.